Safety attachment for railway rolling-stock



(N0 Model.)

N. DENSLER.

sAPLTY ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

No. 600,410. Patented Mar. 8,1898.

EIMLTTATAALII IIATAATIAIA Ai -m a wAifor Is nuns co, PMom-uma. WA! warm 5 c Nrrnn STATES PATENT FFICE.

NAT DENSLER, OF BOWIE, TEXAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,410, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed May 14, 1897. Serial No. 636,584. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NAT DENSLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bowie, in the county of Montague and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Safety Attachment for Railway Rolling-Stock, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined trucksupport and releasing device for fluid-pressure brake mechanisms, constituting a safety attachment for railway locomotives, cars, and similar rolling-stock, the object in view being to provide simple brake-setting devices in connection with means for temporarily supporting a derailed truck,to prevent injury to either the rolling-stock or the road-bed.

It is a well-known fact, particularly in connection with freight-trains, that a derailed car may be carried for a considerable distance be fore the accident is discovered, the injury thereby done to the road-bed, as well as to the derailed car, frequently resulting in wrecking the entire train, or at least that portion thereof which follows the derailed truck. It is also well known that the derailment of a locomotive-truck often results in the wrecking of the train by reason of the obstruction offered to the progress of the train by the dropping of the wheels of the derailed truck between crossties of the road-bed, particularly on bridges, trestles, and like structures. It is therefore my object to provide truck-supporting means whereby the wheels are prevented from dropping between cross-ties or from deflecting a locomotive or car from the line of the track a sufficient distance to leave the dump or fill, said means being adapted, where the deflection of the wheels from the lines of the rails has been slight, to support the truck without material obstruction until the train can be brought to a stop, and in connection with this supporting device to provide means for reducing the train-pipe pressure of a fluidpressure brake mechanism, whereby the brakes are set automatically when the wheels of a truck leave the track.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a safety device constructed in accordance with my invention applied in the operative position to a truck. Fig. 2 is a front View of the same. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View. Fig. 4: is a detail View showing a modified construction of supporting-bar.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs. 7

To the side bars 1 of a truck are attached transverse supporting-bars 2and 3, of which the former is provided with a beveled front edge and is adapted to rest upon the treads of the track-rails and slide freely thereover when the Wheels 6 have been derailed. Both of said bars are provided at intervals with depending webs or projections 4, which are designed to prevent lateral deflection of the truck from the general line of movement, or the line of the track, after such derailment, the projections falling at opposite sides of the treads of the rails and thus serving to guide the device, Said supporting bars are efficient in upholding the truck and prevent the wheels from falling between the cross-ties of a roadbed in all cases Where the deflection of the truck from the line of the track is slight; but as it sometimes happens that the act of derailin g a truck causes a considerable lateral movement thereof, which is sufficient to carry one end of the supporting-bars beyond the line of the contiguous rail and thus allow that side of the truck to drop sufficiently to bring the wheels into contact with the cr0ss-ties, I have found it desirable to mount runners 5 at opposite ends of the supporting-bars, said runners having beveled ends, but being adapted to be variously constructed.

Furthermore, in connection with the abovedescribed construction I employ frangible safety-tubes 7, in communication with the train-pipe 8, which is arranged as in the ordinary construction, said safety-tubes being seated on one of the supporting-bars, preferably the rear bar, with their lower sides projecting slightly below the corresponding sides of said bar, whereby when a derailment occurs the dropping of the supporting-bars on the rails brings one or both of the safetytubes in contact with the same and by breaking the tubes reduces the pressure in the train-pipe and accomplishes the setting of the brakes. These tubes are preferably of glass or similar material.

From the above description it will be seen that the derailment of a truck brings the supporting-bars into operation, and they are so constructed and arranged as to uphold the truck until such time as the brake mechanism shall have brought the train to a stop, the possibility of the deflection of the truck a sufficient distance from the line of the trackrails to render the supporting-bars inoperative being guarded against by the use of run 11ers.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 4 the supporting-bar is provided with a roller instead of a sliding face, this roller 9 being terminally mounted in hangers 10, depending from the main or body portion 11 of the bar, and being arranged in a cavity 12, whereby its upper side is concealed. In order to prevent lateral deflection of the train when resting upon the roller-faced supporting-bar, the roller is preferably flanged at intervals, as shown at 9. It will be understood that otherwise the arrangement of the parts is as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, Fig. 4 simply showing a modification in the construction of the supporting-bars which are employed in connection with the other features.

- Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim isv 1. A safety device for railway-trucks having transverse runner-supporting bars provided on their under surfaces with spaced de; pending webs or projections, to guide the truck when the wheels have been derailed, and frangible safety-tubes, in communication with the train-pipe of a fluid-pressure brake mechanism, arranged parallel with and between said transverse bars, with their lower sides depending below the plane'of the portions of the bars between said webs or projections, substantially as specified.

2. A safety device for railway-trucks having transverse supporting-bars of which the rear bar is channeled to form a seat, and the front bar is beveled at its front edge, and frangible safety tubes, in communication with the train-pipe of a fluid-pressure brake mechanism, fitted in said seat in the rear supporting-bar, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

NAT DENSLER.

Witnesses:

W. T. MARTIN, BOB MOYER. 

